With fhot complainedeft his deth fo fore,
Why ne had I now thy fcience and thy lore
The Friday for to chiden as did ye?

(For on a Friday fothly flain was he)

Than wold I fhew you how that I coud plaine
For Chauntecleres drede and for his paine.
Certes swiche cry ne lamentation

N'as never of ladies made whan Ilion

Was wonne, and Pirrus with his ftreite fwerd,
Whan he had hent King Priam by the berd
And flain him, (as faith us Eneidos)

As maden all the hennes in the cloos

15355

15360

15365

Whan they had seen of Chaunteclere the fight;
But foverainly Dame Pertelote shright
Ful louder than did Hafdruballes wif

Whan that hire husbond hadde yloft his lif, 15370

death of Richard I. In this work the author has not only given inftructions for compofing in the different styles of poetry, but alfo examples. His specimen of the plaintive kind of compofi tion begins thus;

Neuftria, fub clypeo regis defenfa Ricardi,
Indefenfa modo, geftu teftare dolorem.
Exundent oculi lacrymas; exterminet ora
Pallor; connodet digitos tortura; cruentet
Interiora dolor, et verberet æthera clamor :
Totą peris ex morte fua. Mors non fuit ejus,
Sed tua; non una, fed publica mortis origo.
O Veneris lacrymofa dies! o fydus amarum!
Illa dies tua nox fuit, et Venus illa venenum.
Illa dedit vulnus, &c.

These lines are fufficient to fhew the object and the propriety of Chaucer's ridicule. The whole poem is printed in Leyfer's Hit. Po. Med. Ævi, p. 862-978.

15375

And that the Romaines hadden brent Cartagé ;
She was fo ful of turment and of rage
That wilfully into the fire she sterte,
And brent hire felven with a ftedfast-herte.
O woful hennes! right fo criden ye
As whan that Nero brente the citee
Of Rome cried the Senatoures wives
For that hir hufbonds loften alle hir lives:
Withouten gilt this Nero hath hem slain.
Now wol I turne unto my Tale again.
The fely widewe and hire doughtren two
Herden thefe hennes crie and maken wo,
And out at the dores fterten they anon,
And faw the fox toward the wode is gon,
And bare upon his back the cok away:

They crieden out Harow and wala wa!

A ha the fox! and after him they ran,
And eke with staves many another man;

15380

15385

Ran Colle our dogge, and Talbot and Gerlond,
And Malkin, with hire diftaf in hire hond; 15390
Ran cow and calf; and eke the veray hogges

So fered were for berking of the dogges,
And fhouting of the men and women eke,
They ronnen fo hem thought hir hertes breke;
They yelleden as fendes don in helle;
The dokes crieden as men wold hem quelle;
The gees for fere flewen over the trees,
Out of the hive came the fwarme of bees,

15395

So hidous was the noise, a benedicite!
Certes he Jakke Straw and his meinic
Ne maden never fhoutes half so shrille,
Whan that they wolden any Fleming kille,
As thilke day was made upon the fox.

15400

Of bras they broughten beemes and of box, 15404
Of horn and bone, in which they blew and pouped,
And therwithal they fhriked and they houped;
It femed as that the heven fhulde falle.

Now, goode men, I pray you herkeneth alle:
Lo how Fortune turneth fodenly

The hope and pride eke of hire enemy!
This cok that lay upon the foxes bake,
In all his drede unto the fox he spake,
And fayde; Sire, if that I were as ye
Yet wold I fain, (as wifly God help me)
Turneth agein, ye proude cherles alle,
A very peftilence upon you falle:
Now I am come unto the wodes fide,

Maugre your hed the cok fhal here abide;

I wol him ete in faith, and that anon.

15410

15415

The fox answered, In faith it fhal be don: 15420 And as he fpake the word al fodenly

The cok brake from his mouth deliverly,

And high upon a tree he flew anion.

And whan the fox faw that the cok was gon,

Alas! quod he, o Chaunteclere, alas!

I have (quod he) ydon to you trespas,

15425

In as moche as I maked you aferd

Whan I you hente and brought out of your yerd;

But, Sire, I did it in no wikke entente :

Come doun, and I fhal tell you what I mente: 15430

I fhal fay fothe to you, God helpe me so.

Nay than, quod he, I fhrewe us bothe two; And first I fhrewe myself bothe blood and bones If thou begile me oftener than ones:

Thou shalt no more thurgh thy flaterie

Do me to fing and winken with myn eye,
For he that winketh whan he shulde sfee, i
Al wilfully, God let him never the.

15435

Nay, quod the fox, but God yeve him mefchance That is fo indifcrete of governance

1

15440 That jangleth whan that he fhuld hold his pees. Lo, which it is for to be reccheles And negligent, and truft on flaterie. But ye that holden this Tale a folie, As of a fox, or of a cok or hen, :

Taketh the moralitee therof, good men ;

For Seint Poule fayth, that all that writen is
To our doctrine it is ywriten ywis.

Taketh the fruit, and let the chaf be ftille.

15445

Now, goode God, if that it be thy wille, 15450

As fayth my Lord, fo make us all good men,

And bring us to thy highe bliffe. Amen.

15451. As fayth my Lord] Oppofite to this verfe in the margin of mf. C. 1, is written Kantuar, which means, I fuppoïe, that fome archbishop of Canterbury is quoted.

Sire Nonnes Preeft, our Hofte fayd anon,
Ybleffed be thy breche and every fton;
This was a mery Tale of Chaunteclere:
But by my trouthe if thou were feculere
Thou woldest ben a tredefoule a right,'

For if thou have corage as thou haft might
Thee were nede of hennes, as I wene,
Ye mo than feven times feventené.

15455

15460

Se whiche braunes hath this gentil Preeft,

So gret a necke, and fwiche a large breeft!
He loketh as a fparhauk with his eyen;

Him nedeth not his colour for to dien
With Brafit ne with grain of Portingale,

15465

But, Sire, faire falle you for your Tale.

And after that he with ful mery chere

Sayd to another as ye fhulen here.

15468

V. 15468. Sayd to another] I have obferved, in the Dif course, &c. 37, that in mif. Afk. 1, 2, this line is read thus

Seide unto the Nunne as ye hul heer.

The following are the fix forged lines which the fame mff, exhibit by way of introduction to The Nonnie's Tale;

Madame, and I dorfte I wolde your pray
To telle a Tale in fortheringe of our way;
Than might ye do unto us grete efe..
Gladly, Sire, quoth the, fo that I might plefe
You and this worthy company;

And began hir Tale riht thus ful fobrely.

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